Fisheries Enhancement on the Half-Shell

Annie B. Morgan Shoreline Restoration Coordinator, Marine Discovery Center 520 Barracuda Blvd. New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169. [email protected] At the Marine Discovery Center (MDC) in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, volunteers and staff recently gathered to shovel oyster shells into mesh bags to help rebuild damaged or eroded shorelines. Throughout the morning, as sweat dripped and shovels scraped, the number of oyster bags grew to nearly 400, with each bag weighing about 30 lbs. Each oyster bag created through the Shuck and Share Oyster Recycling Project is destined for a new home in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), the most biologically diverse estuary in North America. In recent years, declining water quality in the IRL has resulted in